The Great Singapore Sale is on!
These words are enough to make a lot of girls in Singapore go gaga. After all, they’ll be treated to the latest trends and it’ll satisfy their insatiable appetite for shopping. That’s all well and good, but as guys, we know what we’re in for.
For those of us who have a partner who’s a shopaholic, brace yourselves. Think non-stop shopping sprees at either ION Orchard or Far East Plaza every weekend, due to the sudden important need for her to have a new pair of shoes, a dress, even bedsheets. Even if it may not be your money she’s spending, isn’t it frustrating to see so much money going to waste on clothes that she’s only going to wear once or twice?
Well, just remember, shopping to girls is probably like playing Diablo 3 to guys – so don’t nitpick. You wouldn’t like it if your girlfriend started criticising you playing games, right? Which leads to the first step of dealing with shopaholic-girlfriends: Understanding. By understanding her, it makes it easier to see why she goes through all that unnecessary retail therapy.
Then again, for those of us who feel that our girlfriends truly have a shopping problem, there are a few ways to deal with obsessive spending.
First, credit cards. Do not use credit cards for purchases. By using credit cards, it sort of desensitises the importance of money, as you do not see the money going away – you just use a piece of plastic to pay for your goods.
Second, you can call her over to your place. Have dinner at your home or rent a movie to watch. Avoiding shopping centers or places where she can window-shop could curb her shopping needs.
Lastly, you could give excuses. If she asks you to buy a pretty dress for her – or even something small like a pair of earrings – as cheap as it sounds, deny her. By getting her way with small things, she may increase the gift sizes by telling you things like, “But you got me that before!” Tell her that you’re saving up for a trip for both of you, which will get her mind off things for the moment. But unless it’s your anniversary or her birthday, scrimping out is a big no-no.
All in all, shopping and eating are considered Singapore’s pastimes, so go easy on her sometimes.
On a different note, when you do go shopping with her, help her with the bags when you feel she really needs help – otherwise there will be that bag-carrying versus the no-bag-carrying controversy that we sometimes have.
